If you have too narrow ribbon, it will not go very low.
My ribbon width is 20mm, and as a result i can go lower, off course ribbon is very long.
Those magnets you have are pretty big, you should be able to build decent speaker out of them. I have spend 7 months on simulating magnetic field, to get the best one. Experimenting with building without simulatiion, is not going to tell you anything about magnetic field, only about sensitivity. And with simulation is also much cheaper and easier. Use much discussed FEMM program for a start (free).
I have run away from small ribbons for now, because of few things.
They must have stronger magnetic field, which is then difficult to maintain uniform.
Aluminium foil must be very thin <6um for good sensitivity.
They must have transformer which more or less degrades signal.
They must be crossovered high as a tweeter, and you can't find ordinary midrange driver that can match their speed.
And offcourse, you must buy aditional midrange speaker.
Also, i loved Apogee speakers and Magnepan so i went for quasi ribbon speaker. It has more complicated membrane to produce, membrane is slightly heavier, much wires have to go up and down the ribbon, and vertical dispersion of high frequencies is limited. It is also heavier & more expensive (a lot of magnets).
If you are going for classic pure ribbon design, check this from Alex which also lives in my country and makes one of the best pure ribbons out there http://www.raalribbon.com/ . It has some data in pdf format, and you can see how strong is the field and also check waterfall diagram (only ribbons can make that look so good).
Mx
My ribbon width is 20mm, and as a result i can go lower, off course ribbon is very long.
Those magnets you have are pretty big, you should be able to build decent speaker out of them. I have spend 7 months on simulating magnetic field, to get the best one. Experimenting with building without simulatiion, is not going to tell you anything about magnetic field, only about sensitivity. And with simulation is also much cheaper and easier. Use much discussed FEMM program for a start (free).
I have run away from small ribbons for now, because of few things.
They must have stronger magnetic field, which is then difficult to maintain uniform.
Aluminium foil must be very thin <6um for good sensitivity.
They must have transformer which more or less degrades signal.
They must be crossovered high as a tweeter, and you can't find ordinary midrange driver that can match their speed.
And offcourse, you must buy aditional midrange speaker.
Also, i loved Apogee speakers and Magnepan so i went for quasi ribbon speaker. It has more complicated membrane to produce, membrane is slightly heavier, much wires have to go up and down the ribbon, and vertical dispersion of high frequencies is limited. It is also heavier & more expensive (a lot of magnets).
If you are going for classic pure ribbon design, check this from Alex which also lives in my country and makes one of the best pure ribbons out there http://www.raalribbon.com/ . It has some data in pdf format, and you can see how strong is the field and also check waterfall diagram (only ribbons can make that look so good).
Mx
I have been where you are now, almost
And I am going where you have been 😀
Good trafos dont degrade that much, BUT I will only use a 2 ohm homemade graphite resistor
Actually I am building my own dynamic middriver too
Ofcourse it would be nice to make a fantastic speaker - but its only really for the fun of it
but thanks - I will just use the magnets I have
And I am going where you have been 😀
Good trafos dont degrade that much, BUT I will only use a 2 ohm homemade graphite resistor
Actually I am building my own dynamic middriver too
Ofcourse it would be nice to make a fantastic speaker - but its only really for the fun of it
but thanks - I will just use the magnets I have
I suppose that you will connect that resistor in series with ribbon? That resistor will then suck about 90% of your power and sensitivity will be very low.
I hope that you will post some pictures of midrange driver, i am very interested in that. Normal paper driver must be very complicated to build.
Good luck with projects
Mx
I hope that you will post some pictures of midrange driver, i am very interested in that. Normal paper driver must be very complicated to build.
Good luck with projects
Mx
Yes in series, but it might only be 1ohm, I know my amp can take it, and its otherwise a pretty easy load
Further more I expect the ribbons to be more efffective than the bass and mid, and BSC is to be considered
But only time will tell how it will work
Pictures sure, I will keep you updated, although I may be a bit slow
I have pictures of midrange membrane and magnet
But they are too "large" and I dont know how to make them smaller - I will try and "steal" membrane picture posted earlier by Carlos
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=1142916&stamp=1172266790
Further more I expect the ribbons to be more efffective than the bass and mid, and BSC is to be considered
But only time will tell how it will work
Pictures sure, I will keep you updated, although I may be a bit slow
I have pictures of midrange membrane and magnet
But they are too "large" and I dont know how to make them smaller - I will try and "steal" membrane picture posted earlier by Carlos
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=1142916&stamp=1172266790
http://www.steenduelund.dk/download/HJEM3.WPS.pdf
How too diy your own driver that work ekselent with ribbons.
And you can see where vifa got there ring tweeter from 😉 .
Andre´
How too diy your own driver that work ekselent with ribbons.
And you can see where vifa got there ring tweeter from 😉 .
Andre´
tinitus said:
Hello thanks for asking,My ribbon works fine at the moment but they are about 2 ohms and i used thiner foil off a kit kat lol and it got loads louder than using kitchen foil.Its sounding nice and clear but i feel that if my transformer was better,it would blow me away but i dont know.Im going to use them on my new speakers im building with a wood midrange horn and bass driver.
Good to hear its working
You should remember that with this low impedance, series capacitor should be bigger, or it will rolloff early, but you might know that
You could contact this firm and ask them about a trafo, they are experts with good reputation
I hope my own ribbon will have enough sensitivity to use only a series resistor - made from a graphite pencil
http://www.ae-europe.nl/
You should remember that with this low impedance, series capacitor should be bigger, or it will rolloff early, but you might know that
You could contact this firm and ask them about a trafo, they are experts with good reputation
I hope my own ribbon will have enough sensitivity to use only a series resistor - made from a graphite pencil
http://www.ae-europe.nl/
As MX said, those neo magnets are very powerfull, even if only N35
A new experiment has showed that its OK with a 16mm magnetgap, and still maintaining a very powerfull magnet field
I am holding a metal pin between the magnets - if I cant hold it steady in the midle I reckon its ok, boy you can really feel the strength of these magnets
So a 14 x 200mm ribbon with good sensitivity is still in reach 😎
BTW, Because I damaged a magnet I now use a wooden wedge to get the magnets back in the bundle
A new experiment has showed that its OK with a 16mm magnetgap, and still maintaining a very powerfull magnet field
I am holding a metal pin between the magnets - if I cant hold it steady in the midle I reckon its ok, boy you can really feel the strength of these magnets
So a 14 x 200mm ribbon with good sensitivity is still in reach 😎
BTW, Because I damaged a magnet I now use a wooden wedge to get the magnets back in the bundle
Sorry to hear that. Most important thing is to save your fingers, those magnets are unpredictible when they are close.
Keep posting your progress.
Mx
Keep posting your progress.
Mx
Sorry you are having trouble with magnets,i have trapped my fingers a few times,not too nice i must say.What size would you advise?i normally use a 50v 10uf but i am using a 250v 2uf at the moment and its sounding quite nice!tinitus said:
ehhh, 2uf in a 2ohm load - sounds like you are crossing VERY high
if it really is 2ohm
what xo point are your goal
what is the rest of your speaker, excuse me if I have missed it
if it really is 2ohm
what xo point are your goal
what is the rest of your speaker, excuse me if I have missed it
Yes you are correct its crossed pretty high but it seems good.The 10uf sounds fuller i think,more high midrange.I dont know what crossover point yet really the ribbons are only as small as normal tweeterstinitus said:
not like some of yours but it still sounds great and loud.I have to build the rest of my system and im using a midrange horn with compression mid drivers (which i need to get).What sized capacitor would you advise?When i can get pics on my computer i will show you the ribbon
🙂
Capacitor - with out knowing the exsact resistance its impossible, and it would still only be a "qualified"guess
You will still be the best to judge, listening to what sounds the best
but actually, if resistance is lower than usually, the C should be bigger than what you normally use - but if it sounds good to you, it is good like that
But if you cross lower, it might need a paralel inductor
Ribbon with compression mid driver - they are very different as to sensitivity, though a Fountec or similar are very effective, a DIY ribbon may not have that sensitivity
but as to dispersion and dynamic they might suit each other well, in some sense - kind of interesting
You will still be the best to judge, listening to what sounds the best
but actually, if resistance is lower than usually, the C should be bigger than what you normally use - but if it sounds good to you, it is good like that
But if you cross lower, it might need a paralel inductor
Ribbon with compression mid driver - they are very different as to sensitivity, though a Fountec or similar are very effective, a DIY ribbon may not have that sensitivity
but as to dispersion and dynamic they might suit each other well, in some sense - kind of interesting
All i can do is guess really.I hope to get some mid drivers so i can play with things abit more.the ribbon seems to be more crisp in the highs with the 2uf so i will see how things match up(hopefully in the near future).I also am looking into getting a mic etc as i only have my ears to judge how good it is but i guess thats all you really need😉
🙂 My ribbon tweeters are successfull so im going to use them in my new system.I was wondering if anyone has any info on building a ribbon midrange?How wide has the ribbon got to be etc?Any help would be great thanks.
If you make the ribbon wider to use it at lower frequency, you will loose some sensitivity
And to get some of the lost sensitivity back, you make it longer
I would say the width should be 15-20mm wide (my own will be 15 x 250mm) - and might be used from 1000-10khz
And to get some of the lost sensitivity back, you make it longer
I would say the width should be 15-20mm wide (my own will be 15 x 250mm) - and might be used from 1000-10khz
Thanks for the info.What are your opinions on building a wood horn flare to increse sensitivity?
